


Plots and schemes

by Sukie_Kagamine



Category: High School Musical (Movies)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Canon Gay Character, Canon Gay Relationship, Evil Plans, Gay Sex, Hand Jobs, M/M, Manipulation, Scheming, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 06:53:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15702096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sukie_Kagamine/pseuds/Sukie_Kagamine
Summary: "So, back to the topic, correct me if I'm wrong, but is it true that we both made up a grand scheme to seduce each other without even knowing we already liked each other in the first place?" Chad raised an eyebrow, and Ryan nodded."Obviously we both think too much."





	Plots and schemes

"But Mr Evans, Miss Evans has specifically informed that only Mr Bolton can..."

 

  
"Fulton, please, there's no need to freak out." Ryan smiled reasurringly as he leaned closer over the table, elbows propped on the expensive wooden surface. His eyes shone with mischief, and he continued to outline his request. "Just let me finish. She said that you have to hire Troy Bolton so she could spend the summer harassing and trying to seduce him to leave his current girlfriend for her."

 

  
"Leave his girlfriend for...? Mr Evans--"

 

  
"Oh, stop acting so surprised, I'm sure you would have known." The blond shrugged. "Anyway, you obviously hadn't listened to her carefully, because she didn't say that you have to hire only Troy Bolton. She just said that you hire him to work in Lava Springs at all cost. All cost, as long as he can work here."

 

  
The man in the formal suit furrowed his eyebrows as he replayed the voice message, and Sharpay's piercing command echoed all over the office. He couldn't stand listening to the sound for more than one time, so of course he hadn't really consider every single word she said. But it was true, she emphasized on hiring Troy Bolton, but apart from saying he had to do it at all cost, there was no other request. She just wanted Troy, she didn't say she doesn't want anyone else, right?

 

  
"But are you sure Miss Evans would like to have Mr Bolton's best friend along--?" He hesitated, but Ryan laughed.

 

  
"Not Chad, that would be too obvious. I can't ask for Chad the way she asked for Troy, Fulton. Just hire the entire student body. You will not have to face her rage, I can promise you protection." He rolled his eyes. "God, it's like Game of Thrones here."

 

  
"Entire student body?" Fulton sweat furiously. "Mr Evans, they are not professional staff, they are just teenagers, they are not qualified--and what if Miss Evans doesn't approve of this? From just Mr Bolton to hundreds of other people..."

 

  
"Okay, here's our deal." Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose. "What makes you so afraid of Sharpay?"

 

  
"Well--it's the reason why I'm also taking your request, Mr Evans, I'm just an employee of your parents--" He stuttered.

 

  
"Then you're afraid of having your payment cut down? Or getting fired, if you don't please the two of us?"

 

  
"...You can say so, Mr Evans."  
"Well then, how much did our father promised to pay you to please Sharpay this summer?"  
"I'm--I'm not--"

 

  
"Nevermind." The blond shook his head. "I'll double it. The checks from my mom. If you hire the entire East High student body, I'll double your salary this month. I can promise you that no matter how angry she gets, you would still keep your job. As long as you fulfill my, very reasonable request." Ryan spoke slowly. "Think about it, I'm not cornering you here, Fulton. You technically don't have to disobey her, but you can have tons of money from my mom this month, just by doing the simple, harmless thing that I asked."

 

  
The man spent a long time considering the matter, shifting his eyes from the telephone with Sharpay's shrieking commands to Ryan's smile in front of him. The boy was smiling, but he knew it was deadly. There was no way he could refuse this thing he asked for without having the sky collapse on him, his sister might have Vance Evans fired him, but this boy could whisper one word to his mother and Fulton was sure he would be worse than dead. Vance Evans owned this country club, but he hardly ever paid attention to how things worked around here. The one running everything was Derby, his wife, also the board of directors, and she knew the best way to make his life heaven, or hell, depending on her likings. And it goes without saying, that she preferred her son to her daughter.

 

  
It's not like the boy was any less mischievous and difficult than his sister, he might not showing his thoughts and plans at all, and he might followed her around and obeyed her all the time, but Fulton knew he had his own schemes, and never failed to get what he wanted. They both wanted the same thing, Sharpay wanted a boy named Troy Bolton from East High, and Ryan wanted another boy also from East High, but they had their different ways of achieving their goals. He just did what it took in silence, quietly manipulate people into doing what he asked by simply offering a better deal than his sister did behind her back, and even when Fulton knew it, he still couldn't refuse. To be honest, he didn't care if Ryan and his sister really turn this into Game of Thrones (as long as no incest is involved). The boy knew what Fulton needed, and he offered it to him, just so he could bend the rules a little. It's a win win situation for him, and doubling his salary sealed the request.

 

  
"Very well, Mr Evans." Fulton smiled stiffly, he was still unease at the thoughts of having to please these two devils the whole summer. "You have my word."

 

  
"Thank you, Fulton." The boy grinned and got up from his seat. "You'll find the checks on this desk the morning they were accepted to work here. Have a good night."

 

  
Fulton watched his back leaving the office with confident steps, and he sighed into his papers. Thank god they decided to pursue theater and art as their future career, or else the world would be on fire. Imagine them running Evans Inc after their parents retired: their ambition, plotting nature and unstoppable stubborness would crush their opponents into pieces. And also the lives of the people like him, into pieces, just so they could bring the company to the top. For God's sake, he had no idea why he chose this job in the first place.

 

  
.  
.  
.

 

  
Ryan shook his head slowly. "Sharpay, you can't just downright steal him away to spend time with you. Gabriella will notice, his friends will notice, and he will notice."

 

  
"What, you have a better idea?" The girl huffed as she slumped down on her bed and covered her eyes. Everything was too hard. She didn't wish for things to turn out this troublesome: all she wanted was to have a Troy as an eyecandy in Lava Springs and maybe, having some alone time with him throughout the summer.

 

  
She didn't expect Fulton to drag the whole student body into her plans, and her mother said nothing about it. She didn't understand the intimidation they took with them to Sharpay's talent show. She threatened Fulton to make their lives so miserable they had to quit, but seemed like nothing could get to them. She had no idea why that Gabriella girl could have so much influence on them, she was bland, boring, fake and the most annoying person Sharpay had ever met. It's like the world rotated around her, she just needed to open her mouth and everyone followed exactly what she wanted. Especially Troy.

 

  
"Acutally, I have a better idea." Ryan crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You just need to offer Troy the things Gabriella can't give him. Something like, a basketball scholarship in the U of A, for example. Or anything else having to do with basketball, I'm sure he'll come around."

 

  
"What do you mean?"

 

  
"I mean, Troy is a typical jock. He's not sublte enough to refuse your cunning offer. Dad is in the board of trustees in U of A, right? You can promise Troy a lot of things, only for just, I don't know, a dinner with our parents."

 

  
"Oh my god, you're right." Sharpay's eyes shot up at his face, and she broke into a wide grin. "Yes! A basketball scholarship! I can make his future better!"

 

  
"Yes, of course, his future." Ryan snorted. "Also, let him get to know dad better. Ask Fulton to get him a job as a caddy for mom and dad when we go on our...family golf next week. If he's good at golf, you can make him teach you."

 

  
Ryan loved it when Sharpay's plan went on perfectly. Or, to be honest, his plan. But she was following the steps carefully and leaving Troy no room to escape, so that's part of her success. That's what she never got about him: he never took credit for the brilliant schemes he did to help her get to what she wanted. Like all the times he somehow persuaded their opponents in their dancing competition in the third grade to give up just because of their minor injuries, or informing her about the dirty secrets of her rivals so she could spread them around, humiliating them, or turning their opponents against each other so they could have their way to victory. Sharpay was feared by her desire to do anything to win, but without her brother's seemingly innocent suggestions, she would never be able to defeat all the others. Ryan loved being praised, but he cared about the ultimate goal more than being acknowledged. In this case, being blamed. Thanks to his amazing plot, Sharpay managed to get Troy and Chad a job as caddies for the Evans family in their usual golf day.

 

  
She could do whatever she wanted with Troy, he couldn't care less. Troy tried to make his way out of her claws to get back to his cute little dates with Gabriella, Ryan was sure that after a month, he would be completely stuck in her spider web, knowing very well that he was in trouble, but couldn't do anything about it. The Wildcats would hate her, especially Gabriella and Chad, and he couldn't risk letting those two very important people in his plan hate him. So while Sharpay was too busy launching her excellent plan on luring him into the trap, all he needed to do was throwing in some whispers while keeping silence and pretending to be innocent.

 

  
"Nah, I told you, asking for only Troy from the first day would be very, very suspicious." He groaned. "Why don't you just let, I don't know, Danforth come along? They always stick together, not breaking their bond right away would save you lots of troubles. People would look at them and suspect nothing."

 

  
"And how am I gonna have my moments with Troy if that mop head keeps wandering around?" She pouted.

 

  
"Let Danforth caddy for mom and me, so you and dad can have Troy for the day." Ryan shrugged, hid his smirk as she followed his bait so quickly. "You never include mom in your plan, right? Just take dad and Troy, you leave mom and Danforth to me."

 

  
"You are the best brother in the world, Ry," Sharpay sighed as she squeezed his shoulders. "How can I ever repay you?"

 

  
"Just make sure you have your way with Troy." He let out a smile and left the room, feeling like he had the world around his pinkie. Everything was going exactly as planned, and he couldn't wait till their family golf day. He would, for the first time, see the results of his neuron work.

 

  
.  
.  
.

 

  
When he saw Chad and Troy waiting for them on the green grass of the golf course, he took a deep breath and stepped forward. They didn't seem to notice him at all, all of their attention was on Sharpay, with her braided hair and tiara and her green-pink dress. And when Chad said other than basketball, he also played baseball and something about tracks. Interesting information, Ryan raised his eyebrows. He could use it in the future. His mom seemed to like Chad pretty much, and it was a good sign. Having her approval was the best part of Ryan's plan.

 

  
It was the funny way Chad's corkscrew hair bouncing in the air that told Ryan his father's helicopter had came. The dark brown locks jumping around that all he wanted to do was to bury his hands in them. Vance Evans stepped out of his luxurious helicopter as he waved hello to Sharpay, Ryan and Derby. They had some intimate greetings and went on with their golf, and that was the moment Sharpay began.

 

  
"Chad, you'll be caddying for mom." She chirped. "Troy, daddy."  
"Daddy." Both of them chorused, and Ryan chuckled. Poor Troy.

 

  
It was nauseous, seeing her acting all clingy and coupley to Troy, and Ryan had to try really hard not to stuck his tongue out or make a face at her messing up Troy's hair and ran away with a giggle. Unfortunately, he saw Chad doing it, and himself doing the same thing. They both shared an understanding look, and went back on with playing golf and caddying. The truth is, Ryan knew his family was the weirdest thing in the universe.

 

  
He knew he was terrible at golf, they all were, and the fact that they clapped everytime someone missed a shot didn't change anything. And he hated when his father kept fixing his posture and the angle of his hat. As if he could be any better if it was straight. What was wrong with his knee, hips, shoulders and hat anyway? He hated golf, he hated playing golf horribly with his family, but it was fun. He loved them too much, especially when both of his parents never had enough time for him and Sharpay on weekdays, or other seasons other than summer. This was one of the few activities where they were together all the time, and he knew it was the right time to let his mom know about his plans and intention.  
It's great how Sharpay chose his dad to make an influence on Troy, because now he had the full attention of both his mom and Chad. The boy seemed to be not really knowledgable about golf, but neither did Ryan and his mom, so everything was alright. Ryan kept silence as he listened to Chad talking with his mother about everything she had in mind, and smiled at the way they seemed to like each other so quickly. Chad still had to deal with her dangerous swing of club from time to time, but other than that, they got along nicely.

 

  
His mom knew about Ryan's crush on Chad. She observed the boy from the corner of her eyes when he wasn't looking, and asked him about his relationship to Troy and the Wildcats, his achievements at school and sports, and his thoughts of Lava Springs and the members around here. He seemed preserved at first, but after starting a conversation with someone with such a sharp sense of humor, he opened up quickly and Derby looked genuinely interested. Ryan was quiet the whole time his mom chatted with Chad, waiting for the expressions on their faces, waiting for his turn.

 

  
"Tell me something about your family." Derby took the club from Chad's hand and asked inattentively, but Ryan knew she was carefully considering every word. "I assume your family has the tradition for sports? Are your siblings as good at basketball as you are?"

 

  
"Well, uh, I don't think my little sisters liked sports very much, Mrs Evans. They're more of the singing and dancing kind. There hadn't been an athlete in like, three Danforth generations." Chad answered carefreely, but politely. "But my grandpa loves sports, and all of them are supportive, so."

 

  
"You're talented, sweetie. You should be proud." She smiled at him. "I heard that you are the youngest one that could get the basketball scholarship to the U of A in East High. Even before Troy. That's wonderful."

 

  
"Thank you, Mrs Evans." He grinned sunnily. Of course he was proud. Chad was more dedicated and determined than anyone Ryan had ever seen. He worked for every game as hard as Ryan did for every musical production, and he spent every minute of his off school time for basketball. The blond loved looking at him running and passing on the court. When he did something he loved and passionate about, he forgot about the world and shone. Most people didn't see it though, Chad was usually considered Troy's sidekick, like how Ryan was always considered Sharpay's lapdog, and that's what made him so sure that they would understand each other deeply, but in the end, Chad was the first one of the class to get a scholarship. Even before Troy. And he did it by walking on his own feet. He didn't need a girl with dad on the U of A board of trustees to get what he deserved.

 

  
"I remember you saying you also play baseball pretty well? Tell me something, my husband and son kept going on crazy about it and I know nothing." Derby strolled leisurely with Chad taking the golf bag walking one step behind her, and Ryan on her right.  
Chad seemed genuinely surprised when he realized she was talking about Ryan. He smirked a little, but said nothing as he kept listening to what the dark skinned boy had to say. His mom really knew him well, she was exploiting the exact aspect he wanted to know more about Chad. Baseball could be the key.

 

  
"I used to be in my school's baseball team, but it wasn't that popular in East High." Chad blinked. "I love playing baseball and I still spend time playing with the team, but basketball took up all of my time. I have to choose one of them, or else I won't be able to focus and might probably lose both."

 

  
"A tough choice, isn't it? I understand the difficulties, but you did the right thing, sweetie. I mean, if you didn't give a hundred precent of yourself into basketball, you wouldn't be able to achive what you had, right?" The blonde woman glanced at Ryan for a second, and turned back to Chad right when he lifted his gaze. She knew too well of someone who had to choose.

 

  
"I guess so, Mrs Evans." Chad spoke softly. Ryan wondered if he ever regretted not choosing baseball, like Ryan sometimes did. What if they both chose it instead of basketball and performing arts? Heck, they could be teammates right now. "But it doesn't mean I gave up on it entirely. I still have time to play baseball, and I watch it on TV a lot. My mom loves it, too."

 

  
"My baby Ryan was just like you." She gently stroke the blond's lean shoulder, and he flinched. "He had to choose between his baseball team and the stage. Do you still miss it, honey?"

 

  
Ryan wasn't ready to be dragged into this, but both his mom and Chad was looking at him, and he had to answer. The boy shot his mom an angry glare and shook his head coldly. "Not at all, mom."

 

  
"Too bad you don't." She sighed, ignoring his silent warning. "Your father was still dreaming about the day you change your mind. You don't really have a lot of friends after that."

 

  
"I don't need anymore friends, mom." He mumbled, tried to end the conversation as quickly as possible. It went completely off his intention.

 

  
"Uhm, Mrs Evans?" See, he knew it. He knew Chad would ask. And now his mom would expose him. God, he wished she could expose something like his two year old bathtub photos full of rubber duckies instead of that. "May I ask you what happened? Why did Ryan give up on baseball?"

 

  
"Oh, it's a long story. And a sad one." She closed her eyes nostalgically. "Ryan's teammates were homophobic. When they found out my baby liked boys, they started to isolate him and avoid him. Some of them even tried to push him out of the team, but of course me and Vance didn't let it happen. Things got worse after that, they got too far, and he had to dedicate his time to singing and dancing anyway, so he stopped playing baseball."

 

  
" _Mom_." Ryan clenched his teeth with a warning voice, but she returned his glare.

 

  
"You didn't do anything wrong, ducky. There's nothing to hide." She crossed her arms. "Chad is your friend, you really should open up yourself more if you want to get over the past."

 

  
He opened his mouth to argue, but Chad spoke before he could. "Mrs Evans, Mr Evans, it's alright. Trust me, I know how it feels to be discriminated by being yourself, there are still a lot of racist people around. Being the victim wasn't something to be proud of, but it really wasn't your fault."

 

  
They turned to look at him, and he tried not to freeze at how much they looked like each other. The blond hair, the blue eyes, the pale skin, and the shocking expressions. "I live with my two moms after my parents got divorced. I'm completely comfortable with gay people. It doesn't make you any less than others. And to be honest, only a fool would choose to be in a family with my mom and dad instead of my mom and her wife."

 

  
They stared at him in disbelief for a full minute, before Derby smiled at Chad gratefully and started walking towards the next hole without saying a word. His mom liked Chad, he could feel it. She would definitely let him date this boy. Not just because he was good at sports, or having two gay moms, but also because he was a bright, funny and thoughtful guy, she saw it from the way he acted. And Chad, well, he laughed and commented freely about the obnoxious members in Lava Springs when they quickly came back to the topic, so Ryan thought he was comfortable being with him and his mom. At least, more comfortable than Troy being with Sharpay and "daddy", Ryan smirked to himself. The guy looked terrified. One for Ryan, Zero for Sharpay. Not to mention how Chad was totally mesmerized by Derby's motherly loving gestures towards him.

 

  
When Sharpay pulled Troy into the golf cart where Ryan was supposed to sit in and drove away, he was a little pissed. He knew she would absolutely push him out of the way to have Troy all to herself and it was a part of his plan, he would freak out if she didn't, but that was just mean. He threw a glare at the cart as his mother, arm in arm with his father, walked faster to the next golf hole like he specifically asked, leaving him and Chad alone in the green space. The dark skinned boy mumbled to himself about saving the money for a car, and swung the golf bag on his shoulder. Ryan realized he was actually left with the other bag which was supposed to be Troy's to carry, and he groaned again. If it wasn't for Chad, there would be no way he could let Troy and Sharpay get away with this. He grumpily grabbed the bag and followed the other boy.

 

  
"Hey, hey." He finally caught up with the boy after a few minutes of fumbling with the bag, and Chad turned around.

 

  
"Oh sh--" Chad's eyes went wide as he quickly walked back to where Ryan was standing, just in time for the clubs to fall all over. "I'm so sorry! I didn't notice you were there!"  
He put his bag down and hurriedly put all of the clubs back to the bag, not letting Ryan's hands touch any of them. After tidying up everything, he grabbed both of the bags and the blond had to tear his eyes from the flex of muscles under his Lava Spring uniform.

 

  
"Hey, there's no need too--" He reached out to get one of the bags, but Chad shook his head.

 

  
"I'm paid to do this." He shrugged. "Well, not paid to carry two, but it's not that heavy anyway. And you're a member, Fulton would kill me if he saw you doing this."

 

  
"Are you sure, I can carry a bag, you know." Ryan tilted his head. It's sad when Chad didn't even notice him there, but it's not like he had any reason to, he told himself. They weren't close, nor good friends. And Chad was upset seeing Troy pulled into Sharpay's mess. But he was nice enough to pick up both bags for Ryan, and he apologized, so he was still the nice guy. And Ryan was sure that from now on, he would notice the blond, definitely would.

 

  
"Nah, it's my job." He shook his head and slowed down to walk next to Ryan. He said the truth, the golf bag was heavy, but he could carry it on his own, he wasn't some damsel in distress. But having Chad being a gentleman to him was nice. And people said typical guys like Chad loved having those kinds of weak, lumpy partners so they could boost their egos.

 

  
"Hey, uh, sorry about the whole walk down the memory lane thing from my mom," Ryan turned his head to look at Chad, and the dark skinned boy blinked.

 

  
"What? Why?" He quickly corrected himself. "I mean, why would you have to apologize, Mr Evans? What is there to apologize? It's not your fault."

 

  
"Stop calling me Mr Evans, makes me feel so freaking old. Like my dad." Ryan winced, and Chad grinned. "I don't know, I just... I don't want people to feel bad for me."

 

  
Chad was still skeptical about Ryan, he could feel the tension in the awkward way he scratched his neck when they were alone. To Chad, he was always Sharpay's minion, something that would do anything for her, including lying and cheating, anything to win. And now he was confused to see Ryan without Sharpay, and talk to him for the first time.

 

  
"You hate me because I was always stick to Sharpay." Ryan narrowed his eyes at him.  
"I don't hate you!" He defended himself, and stepped sideway to face Ryan. "It's not personal! I'm just, you know, not interested in singing and dancing and showtunes and all. And people generally don't like Sharpay."  
"Really?" Ryan mumbled. "You don't have any problems with Troy singing."

 

  
"Oh, I had a lot of problems." Chad rolled his eyes and laughed. "I tried to break him up with Gabi so he could stop auditioning for the musical and come back to play basketball full time with me. I was really mean then."

 

  
"Huh. Never imagined the legendary Chad Danforth saying that about himself." Ryan chuckled, and Chad pushed him playfully.

 

  
"I mean, aren't you mad seeing Sharpay setting traps for Troy and leave you with the golf bag here?" Chad looked at him with warm brown eyes full of sympathy, and he was torn between saying yes and no. Of course he was mad, but he was the one suggested the idea to Sharpay so he could have the alone time with Chad, so there's no room for complaining.

 

  
"She's my sister." He said instead, and Chad shrugged. They kept walking in silence for a few more minutes, the concept of playing golf forgotten. Ryan never liked the sport anyway.

 

  
"You don't seem to be as annoying as Sharpay, you know." Chad suddenly said after they wordlessly passed another hole. "I didn't really pay attention, though. Whenever I see you, I just think you're just as bad as her."

 

  
"And when you try to remember my name, all you can make up is 'Sharpay's brother', or more specifically, 'The Brother'." Ryan kicked an imaginary ball with his feet. "I know. No one really cared whenever she's around."

 

  
"Aren't you tired of always being her shadow? Doing everything she said?"

 

  
"Aren't you tired of always being Troy's sidekick?" Ryan asked him back, and Chad frowned. That's not the same!

 

  
"Troy is not a jerk who would abandon me when something better came up!" Ryan really wanted to ask why he was so keen on breaking up Troy and Gabriella then, but it would be picking at a scab, and he was no fool.

 

  
"Shar's not that bad." She was annoying, and commanding, and sometimes she made Ryan felt like he meant nothing, but at least he could lure her into doing what could be silently beneficial to him, and there were times when she was nice to him, so that's okay.

 

  
"You really do love your sister." Chad sighed.  
"And you really are something more than just Troy's best friend." Ryan told him with a tender smile. "I didn't pay attention to you earlier, because you were always overshadowed by him. You are less annoying than him, too."

 

  
Chad glared at him for a second, and he thought the boy was gonna lecture him for an hour about how talking about Troy like that was absolutely unacceptable, but instead he grumbled. "Wanna hear how annoying really he is?"  
And Ryan burst into laughter. "Be my guest."

 

  
.  
.  
.

 

  
Ryan had no idea why the topic changed from gay shits to gossiping about Sharpay and Troy like two envious little bitches, but it was fun. He had always been watching Chad from afar. It was a long story, and a dumb one, but Ryan never tried to forget it.

 

  
Ryan was used to being discriminated and isolated at school. A part of it was because no one liked to mess with Sharpay's brother, so they'd rather stay away from him, and the other part was because they also hated the way he acted. He didn't have to come out to anyone, since everyone, probably except for Chad, automatically assumed he was gay and the bullies usually made fun of him about it. But they weren't the problem. His parents would hire an army of lawyers to kick them out of school if they dared to lay a finger on him, but there was nothing they could do when the rest of the student body isolated him in every social situation. In pair experiments, in group projects, and especially in gym class, he was always the last one taken, and always the odd one that never got anyone to pair up with. Science experiments and other presentations, he could handle himself, but he couldn't do anything in gym class without a partner, and he loathed it. The way people kept frowning and groaning whenever they "unluckily" got paired up with him, and how grumpy and annoyed they were when he started his part, they made the innocent, young, sensitive Ryan cried himself to sleep at night. Until one day, Chad came in like a knight in shining armor, realizing how mean people were to Ryan, and volunteered to be his partner in gym class for months. The boy was so absent minded he didn't bother remembering the blond's name and after a while when people suddenly stopped leaving Ryan out because they saw how great he was at physical activities when performing with Chad, he said goodbye to Ryan to come back to his hardcore basketball circle for the next championship.

 

  
Chad forgot about that because Ryan had changed so much since then, but Ryan didn't. No one, he meant it, no one in East High had ever taken him seriously, especially in sports or gym class. Chad was the first one, and ever since he did, Ryan was after him. The blond tried to approach him again, but they were from different sides of the school, and Chad was busy dating various girls from time to time, so he gave up the idea for a while. He wanted to get over Chad by started dating and hooking up with guys in bars and country clubs, but he never stopped looking out for Chad. It was like an old habit.

 

  
He watched Chad a lot, but only until now did he have the chance to launch his carefully considered plan. He didn't want to look too desperate, so after the conversation on the golf course, he stopped reaching out to Chad. Instead, he asked Fulton to change the working schedule in the exact right moment, so Chad would accidentally be serving as a waiter on his dinner table. The next day, he changed Chad's domain of working so he could sometimes see Ryan in his swimming trunks gracefully swam in the pool in a neat line, because Ryan was extremely confident in the ability of seduction of his body. And then he secretly ordered to have Chad cleaning up the hall while he practiced his singing, and chose all of Chad's favorite songs. He gave Chad the job of taking care the member's expensive cars instead of spending too much time in the kitchen, because he knew how much the boy loved cars and how much more money he would earn from that. He asked for Chad to bring the towels to the studio where he rehearsed his dancing so the boy could see him arching and sprawling along the beat. He asked Fulton to be gentler to the Wildcats, loudly enough so the ears of the gossiping girls could hear, and one night, he organized a huge LED screen to show a basketball game to all of the staff.

 

  
Troy was drifting away and Taylor was busy with her managing job, leaving Chad lonely and pissed, and that gave Ryan a clear way to have him all for himself. One day, he started wearing his infamous skinny jeans more frequently to the country club, with his own funny-sloganed t shirts (" _If God hates gay why are we so cute?_ ", " _Ryan Gayborn of house Targaryen_ ", " _I'm not gay, my boyfriend is!"_ and " _Come to the gay side, we have rainbows!"_ ) perfectly coordinated with newsboy caps and fedoras, and Chad laughed quietly all of the afternoon. Sometimes Ryan generously gave him a free burger or a free drink from the kitchen when Chad came to take his order, and the boy grinned to his ears. He attended more yoga sessions with his mom in order to be in his best physical side, and made sure Chad didn't miss any of it. _Look at this closely, dumbass_ , he mumbled to himself, _I made my own abs just for you._ He didn't talk to Chad though, but he made sure the boy knew he did all of those things for him. He made sure the boy wondered for days and days all summer.

 

  
He sometimes caught Chad looking at him when he got into the kitchen to snuck a cupcake from Zeke's tray, and he challengingly looked back, licking the cream off his fingers. The boy quickly turned away and left for the bathroom, face flushed and oh, something was stiff under those pants. Wonderful.

 

  
.  
.  
.

 

  
Ryan had to say, Kelsi's "You are the music in me" sounded great. Troy and Gabriella made it as lovely as usual, not like he cared, he still a little mad at them for stealing his role in Twinkle Towne, but what caught his attention was how all of the Wildcats flew into the room in the melody and sang together. It was a rather sweet sight, having all of the friends and couples gathering around a piano singing along with a wonderful song. He didn't like the sappy, cheesy way Troy and Gabriella always act for twenty four seven, but it's undeniable that their emotions made the song so much sweeter than how Sharpay would command Ryan around if it was one of their songs. He almost felt bad for planning to separate them, but well, Sharpay was the one doing it. And if their love was as strong and inspirational as everyone claimed, they would find a way to be together. For now, he was going to be a good brother and tell Sharpay about the song, just so she could make sure their number for the talent show can deafeat this song.

 

  
His main reason to stay and listened to it for a while longer was the fact that he realized how distanced Chad looked next to his current girlfriend, Taylor. Not distanced, actually, they were still pressed against each other and sang together, but there was something in their figures that made Ryan even more determined to make Chad his. He was everything like Sharpay, except for one thing. Sharpay was trying to get in between Troy and Gabriella, desperately in love, but Ryan, he was just releasing Chad and Taylor from their stiff and awkward relationship. He knew not-love when he saw them. It was also the reason he decided to make up a plan to get to Chad in the first place. If Chad and Taylor were as solid as Troy and Gabriella, he would quickly dismiss his stupid crush and go back to what he was doing, but he saw the way they looked at each other. Even when they were singing love songs together, like right now. There wasn't that hopeless, endearing passion, there weren't those head-over-heels smiles on their faces, there weren't those loving small touches every few seconds. They were trying to look like a couple, but he was not buying it. Chad was babbling all summer about how he was saving up for a car so he could take Taylor out, but Ryan couldn't see the excitement in her expressions, nor Chad's wanting. He had no idea why they rushed into dating just from teaming up with each other for a tiny mission of breaking up Troy and Gabriella (see, he and Sharpay weren't the only bad guys here), but now he could see they were regretting making decisions too fast. They were just waiting for the other to say getting together was a mistake, and they should just come back to be friends. This wasn't some amateur, teenage movie where the bestfriends of the main couple automatically became a couple themselves, a sidekick couple. Ryan was not getting between them. He just needed to have one of them saying it out loud and he could take what he wanted. Who he wanted.

 

  
.  
.  
.

 

  
After knowing for sure that Chad masturbated thinking about him at night, he quickly moved to the next phase of his plan. He gave Chad the basketball with all of the signatures of the Knicks, his dream team, as a present because ' _I had just went to see their game and I thought you might like it_ ', with absolutely innocent, spontaneous behaviour, and then simply disappeared from the country club for a week. It was weird thinking about this at first, but that's what his mother once taught him. _Make them feel like they couldn't live without you, give them the magical present that made them toss and turn at night thinking about what it meant, and then one day, leave them high and dry._ Ryan stayed home instead of coming to the country club after that, and for a week, even Sharpay tried to drag him to Lava Springs so Chad would stop staring at her looking for him. _If they came to confront you, if they were mad at you for suddenly leaving them, blowing your phone up with text messages and missed calls, means you really meant something to them. And if you attacked at that moment, the weakest moment, asking them if they wanted you, if they cared about you, if they missed you, then the high chance that they would easily go down._

 

  
"Don't worry, Ryan, I would find you a song somewhere else in the show." She dusted his shoulders with a smirk that he swore, if it wasn't his sister, he would sure punch it squarely. "Or the next show."

 

  
"Don't strain yourself, slick." He glared at Sharpay and stomped out of the room, teeth clenching. He made sure Kelsi saw the way Sharpay kicked him out of the number before getting into an empty room near the main yard where the staff usually passed by and waited.

 

  
Kelsi was a valuable witness about him being kicked out by Sharpay. He didn't spend entire week of staying home doing nothing but making up a plan just so no one can persuade the Wildcats that he was the victim. Well, it's not like he faked being abandoned by Sharpay, all of her doings were real. It's just he already predicted exactly what she was gonna do, and he shaped his plans around it. He saw the way she fawned over Troy since the first day of high school and the way she lurking around him everyday at school. He knew that she would never stop trying to find a way to wrap him around her fingers. This summer was all predictable, Sharpay introduced Troy to his dad, babbling about how amazing Troy was at basketball and golf, and lifted him up to separate him from his friends and especially Gabriella. And she tricked him into singing with her for a scholarship in the middle of the family dinner while Ryan was sitting right there.

 

  
It's obvious from the start that she had no intention of performing in the talent show with Ryan. It's totally understandable after all of the times she left him with the golf bags and dealing with everything by himself this summer. He was pissed, of course, they had been together their whole life, he might manipulated her from time to time but never disappointed her, and now she ditched him for Troy Bolton, but fine, Sharpay, if you wanna play games, I'll show you how it's played.

 

  
He looked impatiently at his watch. Only fifteen more minutes until the annual staff baseball game.

 

  
_"Mommy?"_  
_"What is it, Ducky?"_  
_"Do you remember the staff baseball game in Lava Springs? The thing that hadn't been held for like, seven years?"_  
_"Yes? You changed your mind, Ducky?"_  
_"Kinda. I really wanna play in a baseball game with Chad, can I ask Fulton to bring it back? I think it'll be fun."_  
_"Of course! I can't believe it, finally! When are you planning on holding it?"_  
_"I'll talk to Fulton about it, I'm so going to win, mom. But, uh, there's one more thing mom, the equipments for the staff game haven't been used for a while, so you think you can help me with it a little?"_  
_"No problem, sweetie. How much?"_  
_***_  
_"But Mr Evans, the staff baseball game hasn't been held for seven years! And we don't have enough time to organize it in time of your request! How can I--"_  
_"The game is held whenever I say it is held. And I said it is held the day after tomorrow, three in the afternoon. You'll announce it to the staff tonight."_  
_"Mr Evans--"_  
_"One thousand dollars in check. For the new equipments, and for all the inconvnience I caused you."_  
_"Oh. That's--"_  
_"I told you, helping me isn't like serving Sharpay. You'll always have what you deserve. Now please go make sure you can finish the job by tonight. Thank you, Mr Fulton. Have a good day."_

 

  
He was looking for a reason to accidentally dropped by the baseball game when the white golf cart driven by Taylor and Gabriella came closer from the other side of the open ground of the country club, and Ryan stretched his arms. Luck was with him today. Show time.

 

  
"Hey, Ryan, no rehearsals today?" Gabriella's chirpy voice almost made him jumped. He waited at the exact moment to cross over the cart just so the two girls could see him and the voice still made him shiver. The too sweet, too innocent way that made him a little bit guilty for always being the plotting, scheming villain in his life. Taylor slowed down the cart and they poked their heads out to look at him.

 

  
"My sister was trying something new." He mumbled, tried to look as upset and miserble as possible, but somehow not too upset, like when people tried to hide their unhappiness. Just upset enough for them to realized. He tossed the rubber ducky keychain in between his fingers and hid his face under the shadow of his cap.

 

  
"Why don't you come with us to the baseball game?" Gabriella waved him in. "Come on, it'll be fun."

 

  
"Sorry, I'm not a staff, not invited." Ryan gathered all of his acting skills and lessons into _pretending_ that he was pretending to be okay. He paused to narrow his eyes a second, before turning to walk away, prayed to god that they would call him back. He swore, if they didn't call him back and just let him go, his plan would crash and burn to ashes.

 

  
"Everyone's invited." Gabriella shook her head, smiling. "Get in!"

 

  
He shrugged, kept his face straight and walked over to get into the cart. Only when they drove away that he let a smirk slipped out on his lips. _Bingo_.

 

  
"What, Fulton sent you here to spy on us?" Chad frowned at him, but he knew what the frown really meant. The curly haired boy didn't care about Fulton, or Sharpay, or anyone. He was mad at Ryan for ignoring him a whole week. And he looked like he just wanted to shake Ryan repeatedly to get an answer. He really did miss Ryan.

 

  
"Nah, my sister did." The blond turned his gaze away, hid it under his hat. "She thinks you're gonna upstage her talent show."

 

  
"We were gonna do the show, but then Troy bailed on us," Zeke stuck out his tongue. "So, whateva!"

 

  
"What do you mean whatever?" Ryan had to say, Gabriella was cute and sweet, but she was annoying as hell. Seriously. Either she was too sweet, or he was too mean. "I thought we all agreed that doing the show would be fun! This is our summer, remember?"

 

  
Kelsi and Martha nodded and agreed with her, but the Chad and the Wildcat boys shook their heads stubbornly.

 

  
"We don't know how to put together a show!"

 

  
"But he does." Suddenly all of the gazes fell on Ryan, and he blinked rapidly. Sorry, he wasn't really listening to their dramatic the summer is ours! when Chad in his signature red color: red cap, red and white jersey and baseball pants and oh, his hair was tied back, was splayed out in front of his eyes. And that invisible pout he knew that would appear across his face if all of the people weren't there. Chad was blowing up Ryan's phone for days without having any answer, of course he was pissed.

 

  
"If you wanna play ball, then grab a mitt." Chad narrowed his eyes at Ryan. "But I don't dance."

 

  
The floor his mine. "You don't think dancing take some games?"

 

  
Chad didn't expect Ryan to shoot back, he knew it. The boy thought he would be all quiet and observed for being a terrible crush and disappeared from his line of vision in a full seven days, but all he saw now was a challenging, confident, and extremely hot boy staring straight into his eyes invitingly with his glossy pink lips and cocky smirk. Oh, Ryan spent the entire week just to make sure his skin looked impeccably translucent and his hair looked goldenly silky. He was the prettiest guy ever, and there was nothing in the world that could convince him otherwise.  
Chad checked him over from head to toe, impressed with his stark white outfit, which was carefully chosen among a thousand different outfits from his closet, and nodded. Challenge accepted.

 

  
.  
.  
.

 

  
Ryan quickly stepped into the locker room, fully aware of a familiar hurried footstep chasing behind his back. Everyone already finished their showering and changing from the tensing game and left for lunch, but he waited until after no one was there to start getting into the showers. His clothes were all sweaty and dusty from hours running and struggling on the baseball diamond, and he was sure that Sharpay would shriek if she saw him so messed up, but the vibe coming off his body said otherwise. He was covered in sweat and dirt, but he had never felt so alive. It's been a long time since he had played in such a tempting game: the competitive atmosphere, the rush, the challenge, the breathless pace, and the incredibly thick sexual tension that could almost choke the audience. Playing baseball when he was in his old team was a cool rush of adrenaline, but playing against Chad, fighting and pushing his limits to win was an erupting volcano of testosterone, and he could feel himself commanding for some touch. Be patient, he whispered to himself as he saw the dark skinned boy followed him to the shower room and smirked. This time, the touch would come from someone else.

 

  
"Evans." One second after hearing the door closed and he was trapped, facing the cold tile of the shower wall and a long line of heat pressed up behind him. A pair of large, strong hands clutched at his hips and he clawed at the wall, tried not to arched up too thirstily. "What were you doing to me?"

 

  
"What were I doing to you?" He let out a lazy laugh. "I didn't do anything. You are the one pushing me into the wall here."

 

  
"Stop playing games, Evans." Chad growled into his ears and oh, no one can blame him for getting hard at the sound. "You were seducing me. Since the start of summer. And on the field out there. Especially on the field out there."

 

  
"Why do you think I was seducing you?" Ryan rest his cheek on the tile, using his innocent tone. The steel erection pressing on his back was giving him a very, very good sign.

 

  
"You think I don't know what you did to Fulton to have my schedule changed so I suddenly spinning around you like a satellite all summer?" Chad knocked his hat down onto the floor and turned him around to face him.

 

"Making me look at you splashing in the pool? Listening to you singing? Watching you lapdance around the studio?"

 

  
"That's not lapdance, you know it." Ryan tilted his head, the inviting smirk was still on his lips as he grabbed the other boy's broad shoulders tightly.

 

  
"You made me caddy for you and your mom, didn't you? And the car job? And this baseball game?" Chad glared at his blue eyes, already blown with lust. "This baseball game hadn't been held for years."

 

  
"Well, I might have changed the tradition a little to give both of us some fun." He licked his lips. "You don't like it?"

 

  
Chad responded with a frustrating grunt and jerked forward to connect their lips. Ryan eagerly kissed back, devouring the other boy's lips in his mouth, and oh, it felt good. Finally, after all the time begging, lying, stealing and cheating, he got to taste the mouth of the one he wanted so bad. And everything was worth it. Chad was slightly shocked at the delicious way Ryan's tongue slid over his own, but he quickly got onto his feet and explored every corner, every inch of the open heat. The kisses were wet, hot, wanting and everything they'd ever wished for. Chad pulled them flushed onto each other, chest touched and mouth crushing, Ryan's hands slid into his curly hair and brought him closer, pushing himself on the tip of his toe to get closer to the warm lips, letting their tongues intertwined and sucked hungrily at every move. Chad cursed under his breath something about Ryan could tie a cherry stem into a knot with that tongue of his, and returned the kiss with everything that could melt Ryan's insides. For a long time, Chad was only a crush. Chad didn't recognize his existence. Now, Chad seemed to like him just as much as he wanted Chad, and there wasn't any dream that could be sweeter.

 

  
Ryan let out a yelp of surprise when Chad reached under his thighs and lifted him off the floor, pale arms snaking around his shoulders and held on desperately as if he was the last wooden panel on a sunken ship. Ryan's back hit the wall in a delicious thud and he instinctively wrapped his legs around Chad's waist. Ryan could surprise the boy by being as athletic as he wanted, but he would never stand a chance against twelve years of non stop baseball, basketball and tracks. He lifted Ryan up as easy as a pie and started licking the side of his neck while trying to take off the annoying clothes between them. He could taste the sweat, the dust and the rapid pulse under the blond's jaw as he whimpered and grinded up.

 

  
"Come on I'm--" He rest his head on the tiles, panting and fumbling with Chad's red jersey. "I'm dirty, let's get in the--shower--"

 

  
Chad slapped his ass so hard he almost gave out and fell if it wasn't for the other arm keeping his hips in place. "Showers later."

 

  
The sting felt so good as he realized that his white pants already came off, leaving him with only his boxers and the thin silk didn't do much to soften the contact. Chad somehow managed to pull his shirt off without putting him down, and Ryan finally succeeded in pushing the other boy's baseball uniform pants down in the ecstasy. It was incredible how they hadn't even done anything but grinding and kissing and groping and he already felt like he could melt like butter in a hot pan.

 

  
"Take your shirt off," The blond hissed as he couldn't find a way to take the last last piece of clothing off the dark skin and he was so frustrated he almost tried to rip it off. There's no way he could let the other boy strip him and touch him without exposing himself, too.  
Chad only took a few seconds to take it off, and they both dove into each other. He had always been used to be the one in control, the dominant one, the one that make girls weak in the knees and mewls for mercy. But with Ryan, it was different. The boy was slender, but wasn't weak, nor obedient. He was sure that Ryan was also used to being on top despite his effeminate look, because he was extremely bossy and commanding and very persuading. Like with just a word of command, like 'move your hand lower', 'put your hand here', and he could make anyone obeyed him without hesitation. His skinny, but strong arms forced Chad to where he wanted, and they fought for dominance all over the shower room floor as he pushed Chad over. Their make out session was more like a fight, neither of them tend to give up, or letting the other win. But their eyes were all darkened by lust, cocks steel hard as they rubbed against each other, searching for friction, and after a while, they forgot about the dominating to focus on the pleasure.  
The mixed sounds of gasping, moaning and incoherent dirty talking drowned out the wet, filthy noise of their hands on each other body, of their kisses, and the feelings of having another pair of hands stroking you off with just the perfect precision from Ryan's side and the wild, messy roughness from Chad's side made their brains went off line completely. Even if the whole world flooded into the room right now and they were exposed in front of their eyes, they couldn't care less. The eagerness of hungry, desperate seventeen-year-olds blinded them from anything but each other. Right now, the only thing they cared about was the ecstasy, the brain-meltingly hot noises, and how to get more and give more of them.

 

  
"I'm--close--" Chad grunted against his flushed ears, and the orgasm struck him like lightning, spreading from his lower half to the tips of his fingers and toes. The blond arched like a cat in heat, releasing a punched out moan and the warm liquid covered both of their stomachs and chests. And the hot feelings pushed Chad off the cliff too.

 

  
A few minutes later, Chad stopped lying on top of Ryan and squishing him, he rolled off the boy to lie next to him on the cold floor, both of them panting hard. The blond turned his head to kiss the other boy deeply.

 

  
"Your abs are the gift of the gods." He mumbled into the kiss as his hands ghosted over the rock hard abs, and Chad burst into laughter.

 

  
"And I don't realize you have abs before, princess."

 

  
"Because I didn't." He bit Chad's lips. The ring of the last syllables shot straight to his cock, and he decided to make Chad call him princess til the rest of his life. "I worked out just for you. I did lots, lots of things for you, you have no idea."

 

  
"Oh, I do." Chad smirked. "Who do you think asked Taylor and Gabriella to pick you up and bring you here in the first place?"

 

  
.  
.  
.

 

  
So the bastard also had an entire plan to get to him, Ryan found out. He wasn't actually dating Taylor, thank god, they had something last year but it didn't last long as they both realized that they wouldn't work out, and since then they had been helping each other with finding their real soulmates. She was the one giving Chad the plan of seducing Ryan (back), with the help of Gabriella and Kelsi and Martha and basically the Wildcats girls. They spied on Ryan, planning on Chad's next move on him and made sure Chad looked as sexy as possible. Chad said he had laid his eyes on Ryan at some time in the middle of the first high school year, which was the exact time he came to be Ryan's gym partner.

 

  
"My parents got divorced because my father was homophobic." Chad whispered as he followed the dance steps that Ryan was performing. "I was too little to know what really happened, I just, you know, had a tiny crush on Troy since we've known each other our whole lives,"

 

  
"Should I be jealous?"

 

  
"I'm explaining why I like you, shut up." Chad rolled his eyes and let the blond took his hands. The steps would be easier that way.

 

"And I innocently told my parents about it. My dad hit me. I could have had a terrible wound if my mom didn't knock some sense into him."

 

  
Ryan kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thank god you're okay."

 

  
"He even secretly brought me to some gay-curing camp, and it was nightmarish there. The poor queer people there were literally tortured, physically and mentally. There were blood, screams and begs everywhere, all day and night. Thankfully my mom found out about that in time and came to rescue me." Chad mirrored Ryan's movements. He didn't even pay attention to the choreography anymore, blue eyes locked to his. "She divorced him right then, and he was forced to leave. Didn't care enough to fight over the custody, me and my sisters meant nothing to him."

 

  
"And then she met your new other mom and lived happily ever after?" Ryan tried to brighten the story, and Chad nodded slowly.

 

  
"Yeah, basically."

 

  
"So that means you knew you are gay since you were tiiiny?" The blond tilted his head.

 

  
"Yeah. But I was afraid of being treated like how my dad treated me." The dark skinned boy sighed. "And then in the first year of high school, I saw you. You were bursting rainbows everywhere, and you're proud, you're brave, you're everything I'm not and everything I wanted to be."

 

  
"I'm more lucky to be born in a loving family." Ryan stroke his hands gently. "And it's okay if you don't want to come out because of how people react. I always tell others to live by their true selves, but human are generally cruel. They would crush your life into pieces if you weren't tough enough."

 

  
"I saw you being proud but I also saw every time you struggled through the discrimination of others. And you're still strong and tough even when I was worried for you." Chad shook his head.

 

  
"Oh, so that's why you came to be my gym partner when no one did?" The blond smiled and guided him through another sets of dance moves. They all turned out so easy.

 

  
"Guess I just wanted to be able to get closer to someone I admire." Chad shrugged, and Ryan laughed.

 

  
"Slick." He kissed the other boy's lips. "You made my life a whole lot easier after that. Thank you."

 

  
"So, back to the topic, correct me if I'm wrong, but is it true that we both made up a grand scheme to seduce each other without even knowing we already liked each other in the first place?" Chad raised an eyebrow, and Ryan nodded.

 

  
"Obviously we both think too much."

 

  
"And your scheme was manipulating your sister into doing what she thought she wanted, but actually beneficial for you?" Chad smirked.

 

  
"She thought she could play me like some video games to have Troy. But, just in a few minutes when the show starts and she found out I 'switched songs', turned out that she doesn't have Troy while I already have you in my pocket, she'll know how it's played." Ryan grinned to his ears, hands massaging Chad's biceps in a very seductive, very evil and very hot way.

 

  
"You've beaten her at her own game." Chad kissed those cunning lips hungrily, started groping him all over. After a full month of dancing around each other and spending infinite time in private dancing lessons, the blond had to know how the devious, sly and conniving side of him turned Chad on.

 

  
"Oh, don't flatter her," Ryan pushed the door close and started taking his clothes off while still maintain skin contact. "She wasn't even a player."


End file.
